If electrons did not have intrinsic angular momentum (spin)but still obeyed the Pauli exclusion principle the states occupied by electrons in the ground state of helium would be:
A)(n = 1, ℓ=0); (n = 1, ℓ=0)
B)(n = 1, ℓ=0); (n = 1, ℓ=1)
C)(n = 1, ℓ=0); (n = 2, ℓ=0)
D)(n = 2, ℓ=0); (n = 2, ℓ=1)
E)(n = 2, ℓ=1); (n = 2, ℓ=1)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers. In the case of helium, the first two electrons would still occupy the lowest energy level (n=1) and have different values of ℓ (orbital angular momentum), since they cannot have the same values of all four quantum numbers. However, without intrinsic angular momentum (spin), there is no additional degree of freedom to further differentiate the electron states, so both electrons would have to occupy the same orbital with ℓ=0. Thus, the correct configuration is (n=1, ℓ=0); (n=2, ℓ=0). of which choice C is the only option.

If Electrons Did Not Have Intrinsic Angular Momentum (Spin)but Still